Second baseman Ehire Adrianza #13 of the Los Angeles Angels runs for a ground ball. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Angels reported on April 21 that they selected the contract of Venezuelan infielder Ehire Adrianza from Triple-A Salt Lake City.
Adrianza signed a minor league contract with the Angels on February 22 and was invited to big league camp. He was assigned the same day to Triple-A Salt Lake City.
Adrianza, 34, was born in Guarenas, Venezuela, and has played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball with the San Francisco Giants from 2013-16, the Minnesota Twins from 2017-20, the Atlanta Braves in 2021 and 2023, and the Washington Nationals in 2022. Adrianza returned to Atlanta on August 1, 2022, in exchange for second baseman Trey Harris, heading to the nation’s capital and finishing the 2022 season with the Braves.
Adrianza elected free agency on October 2, before signing with the Angels.
Adrianza played second base on Monday against the Baltimore Orioles. In three at-bats, he struck out once and had one walk during their 4-2 loss.
He played in 14 games with Triple-A Salt Lake City to start the 2024 season and batted .349 with 53 plate appearances, ripping 15 hits, two doubles, two triples, one home run, four RBI, eight walks, and nine strikeouts before being called up to the Angels.
Adrianza started in four games at shortstop and seven at second base during his time with Salt Lake City.
He played 20 games during spring training and batted .206 in 38 plate appearances, recording seven hits, two home runs, four RBI, three walks, and five strikeouts.
During the 2023-24 winter league season, Adrianza played in Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional with the Tiburones de La Guaira in 19 games, batting .230 in 77 plate appearances, scoring 14 hits, four doubles, one triple, three home runs, 10 RBI, 11 walks, and 12 strikeouts.
Adrianza helped the Tiburones de La Guaira win their first Caribbean Series title on Feb. 9 in Miami at LoanDepot Park, beating the 2023-24 LIDOM champion Tigres del Licey 3-0 in the championship game. In the Caribbean Series, Adrianza started in three games and did not record a hit with 12 plate appearances, scoring one run, stealing one base, walking twice, and striking out twice at the event.
Last season with the Braves, Adrianza landed on the 10-day injured list with a right elbow inflammation on May 5, 2023. After playing five games with the organization, he had 11 plate appearances and did not record a hit, walking once and striking out four times.
Adrianza was activated on September 5, 2023, to High-A Rome and played in seven games batting .316 with 24 plate appearances, recording six hits, two doubles, four RBI, one stolen base, four walks, and two strikeouts before being promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett on September 12.
He played in eight games with Triple-A Gwinnett to finish the 2023 season and batted .143 in 30 plate appearances with four hits, two doubles, two walks, and three strikeouts.
In his 11 seasons in the MLB, Adrianza has played in 617 games with a lifetime average of .238 in 1,548 plate appearances, smacking 325 hits, 75 doubles, nine triples, 21 home runs, 149 RBI, 19 stolen bases, 127 walks, 301 strikeouts, and a .659 OPS.
